Session
Session VIII: Ground Systems - Enterprise
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
Over the past decade, AFRL's Small Satellite Portfolio (SSP) and Ops Cadre (RVES) branches have been operating small satellites with different bus providers to support diverse mission needs. Because the bus, payload and experimentation differ for every mission, and the ground segment has had the challenge of supporting the varying needs on a mission-by-mission basis. AFRL has been working to improve efficiency with which the ground segment supports those varying needs. One major emphasis has been on learning how to automate operations of such different missions. In an effort to standardize mission automation within the operations center, AFRL has developed a set of automation building blocks that are impartial to spacecraft design. This paper will describe the environment and purpose of ground-based Ops Automation, by first providing definitions of the entire Mission Operation system, which includes not only the spacecraft but also Space environment, Ground Stations, Ground Tools, Operators, and Stakeholders. The paper will address the technical challenges for designing automation for inherently constrained systems, like small satellites, that aid in effective automation system engineering. The impacts due to constraints such as communication limitations, SWAP, incomplete data sets, data latency and data bandwidth are discussed. Concluding this needs discussion, a comparison is made between ground-based or on-board automation. Next, the paper will describe guiding principles used to design trusted and useful automation. The principles identified include phased implementation, maintaining operator visibility, operator override capability, operator readiness and training. The phased application of automation is necessary to address programmatic constraints such as stakeholder needs, organizational rigor, risk acceptance thresholds, and data costs. These principles, as summarized, mark the significance of applying a structured roadmap to integrate trusted, automation components into operations centers. The paper will then reveal eight building blocks identified as the generalized processes that enable the generation of mission value through the application of automation.
Document Type
Event
AFRL Validated Principles and Building Blocks of Ground-Based Ops Automation
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Over the past decade, AFRL's Small Satellite Portfolio (SSP) and Ops Cadre (RVES) branches have been operating small satellites with different bus providers to support diverse mission needs. Because the bus, payload and experimentation differ for every mission, and the ground segment has had the challenge of supporting the varying needs on a mission-by-mission basis. AFRL has been working to improve efficiency with which the ground segment supports those varying needs. One major emphasis has been on learning how to automate operations of such different missions. In an effort to standardize mission automation within the operations center, AFRL has developed a set of automation building blocks that are impartial to spacecraft design. This paper will describe the environment and purpose of ground-based Ops Automation, by first providing definitions of the entire Mission Operation system, which includes not only the spacecraft but also Space environment, Ground Stations, Ground Tools, Operators, and Stakeholders. The paper will address the technical challenges for designing automation for inherently constrained systems, like small satellites, that aid in effective automation system engineering. The impacts due to constraints such as communication limitations, SWAP, incomplete data sets, data latency and data bandwidth are discussed. Concluding this needs discussion, a comparison is made between ground-based or on-board automation. Next, the paper will describe guiding principles used to design trusted and useful automation. The principles identified include phased implementation, maintaining operator visibility, operator override capability, operator readiness and training. The phased application of automation is necessary to address programmatic constraints such as stakeholder needs, organizational rigor, risk acceptance thresholds, and data costs. These principles, as summarized, mark the significance of applying a structured roadmap to integrate trusted, automation components into operations centers. The paper will then reveal eight building blocks identified as the generalized processes that enable the generation of mission value through the application of automation.
